The City of Butler has agreed to spend nearly $400,000 to upgrade roads and parking infrastructure as council continues to enact its five-year improvement plan.

City council voted 4-0 at its meeting Thursday, Sept. 25, to approve a $140,000 payment to C.H. & D. Enterprises for repairs to the South Monroe Street bridge, a $140,000 proposal from Butts Ticket Systems for electronic parking installations and nearly $100,000 over the next five years for support for the kiosks.

Both projects were anticipated costs, having been outlined in the city’s long-range plan for a $15 million portion of the Butler Area Sewer Authority sale proceeds. The plan prepared $100,000 for both the bridge repairs and the kiosks.

A five-year agreement with Butts Ticket Systems, which covers maintenance, technical support, training sessions and parts repairs or replacements, will cost the city just under $10,000 the first year and over $20,000 each subsequent year.

Mayor Bob Dandoy said Butts Ticket Systems will install 10 total kiosks across five lots: two at the Main Street lot, two at the North Street lot, three at the Diamond lot, two in Tier garage and one in Centre City garage.

Jim Chiprean, the city’s parking manager, said the kiosks are able to take a wide array of payment options, from cards to contactless payment options, such as Apple Pay, to coins.

Around $10,000 of the agreement is dedicated to purchasing the handheld enforcement devices that go hand-in-hand with the kiosks.

The city will also be installing 17 updated meters across the lots for those who prefer it.

“They’re brand new and solar-powered and you can use your credit card in them. We know the demographic and we know people are not always comfortable with those big kiosks,” Dandoy said.

Work is expected to continue through the remainder of the year, with Dandoy joking that he hopes residents enjoy the “meter holiday.”

As for the bridge, C.H. & D. Enterprises’ $149,000 bid was previously chosen by council at a May meeting. The work, which includes resurfacing and structural repairs, was completed in August and is meant to be enough to keep the bridge operational until PennDOT replaces it in 2029.

Councilman Don Shearer remarked that the project, which was approved for around $149,000, came under bid at $140,000.

“It’s pretty solid and I think that they’re still going to put a coat of sealer over it,” Dandoy explained to council.